The invention relates to an exercise and therapeutic apparatus and more specifically a rebound system and an improved method of altering the resistance of the carriage that the exercise participant travels upon.
The invention relates to the art of exercise apparatuses that generally consists of a stationary frame, a moving carriage, a kickplate, a resistance system and a rebound system. The exercising orientated is positioned in a supine position on the carriage as it travels in a longitudinally oscillating or reciprocating motion by exerting a force upon a kickplate that is attached to the foot end portion of the frame or by pulling upon arm cords connected head end portion of the frame.
Prior exercise apparatuses that have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,042,797 and 5,364,327 that are also applications made by the inventor, disclose resistance systems that allow adjustability from the foot end portion (the portion where the kickplate is located) of the exercise apparatus only. This required the exercising participant or therapist to adjust the elastic members near the kickplate that is located to the foot end portion of the frame.
More advanced exercising participants exert greater force upon the kickplate therefor reposition the frame in a longitudinally footward direction. Hence, the acceleration of the mass of the carriage and exercising participant in the longitudinally headward direction creates a counteracting force upon the kickplate and frame in the longitudinally footward direction. This force is great enough to overcome the frictional forces between the lower ground contact portions of the frame and the surface the exercise apparatus rests upon. To help counteract the longitudinally footward movement of the frame, oftentimes the foot end portion of the apparatus was positioned against a wall. This allowed the longitudinally footward force exerted upon the kickplate and frame to be transferred to the rigid wall.
This presents a new problem for the individual changing the resistance exerted upon the carriage. To increase the resistance additional elastic members are grasped from the foot end portion of the carriage and then attached to the foot end portion of the frame. Likewise, to decrease the resistance elastic members that are attached to the extreme foot end portion of the frame are disengaged from the frame and the head or handle portions of the elastic members are returned to the foot end portion of the carriage. Because the foot end portion of the machine was usually positioned against a wall, to add additional elastic members the exercising participant or therapist had to reach under the kickplate and grab the head portions of the elastic members from the carriage and pull in a longitudinally footward direction to a mounting bracket on the extreme foot end portion of the frame. This was an awkward movement that was difficult to execute and other times was not feasible because of the immediate location of the wall.
Another issue with the earlier designs was that the elastic members that were not in an operative position traveled with the carriage. This added extra mass to the carriage which in turn created greater forces upon the exercising participant during accelerations.
A further issue with the earlier designs was that the elastic members would develop cracks on the interior surfaces near the head or handle portions. The structure of the handle portion of the elastic members consisted of a handle member that has a barbed longitudinally extending member with a smaller diameter that is frictionally engaged within the end portion of the hollow rubber tube. When the person adjusting the elastic cord grabbed on to the handle portion of an elastic strap oftentimes they would not pull the handle portion substantially longitudinal in an aligned manner with the longitudinal axis of the elastic member. But rather, they would apply a moment perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the elastic member. This caused a slight rotation of the head portion about an orthogonal axis to the longitudinal axis of the elastic member. The effect of this moment was that it caused the barbed insert of the head member to gouge into the interior surface of the elastic member. The effect of the gouging of the interior surface was most pronounced at the deepest inserted portion of the barbed member that was inserted into the elastic member. After many cycles of changing elastic members from an inoperative positioned to an operative position, the elastic members would break as a result from a crack that began on the interior surface near the end portion of the barbed insert of the head member.
There is further an improved rebound system over the prior art devices (namely the assembly discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,797 discussed further below). The prior art rebound systems were effective in storing energy and not allowing excessive accelerations upon the carriage when the exercising participant traveled beyond the intended longitudinal range of motion. However, the prior art rebound systems were difficult to adjust in the longitudinal range of motion of travel of the carriage, and further, they were more expensive to produce.
Relevant prior art is disclosed in three earlier U.S. patent applications by the present inventor. The earlier applications are U.S. Ser. Nos. 696,254, 786,540, and 001,192. The apparatus of U.S. Ser. No. 001,192 comprises a platform or carriage, termed a shuttle, being mounted on rollers which engage the tracks of a track assembly or frame. The shuttle is further interconnected to the track assembly with primary and secondary energy storage and release systems comprising elastic cords. The tension forces in the cords of both systems are adjustable to influence the at-rest location of the shuttle on the tracks and the forces applied to the shuttle by the cords as the shuttle moves with respect to the tracks.
The primary system interconnects between the shuttle and both ends of the track assembly. The secondary energy absorption and release system is in constant engagement with the track assembly and intermittent engagement with the shuttle, the shuttle engaging the secondary system when the shuttle approaches one or both the extreme of its reciprocating motion on the tracks.
The engagement between the secondary system, specifically the rebound assembly, and the track assembly is effected by engagement of projections from the rebound assembly with structural stop members attached to the track assembly. The stop members are positioned so that they are engaged by the projections as the shuttle nears the limits of its travel along the tracks. After engagement the rebound assembly stopped while the shuttle continues to move, stretching the elastic cord(s) and producing forces which decelerate, stop and re-accelerate the shuttle in the opposite direction or assist the primary system in doing so if the primary system is set to operate at that point.
A more significant piece of prior art known to the inventor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,327 that is issued to him. This application discloses an exercise apparatus having a frame that comprises two longitudinally extending tracks and a kickplate. The apparatus further has a carriage which is designed to move longitudinally in a reciprocating motion on the frame. The primary energy storage and release system comprises elastic cords attached to the bottom of the shuttle and to the ends of the track assembly at various points along the cords, using ferrules on the cords engaging slots in the end structures of the track assembly. These cords may be connected, and thus constantly engaged during operation, between the shuttle and one end of the track assembly, the shuttle and the other end of the track assembly or the shuttle and both ends. The system functions to bias the shuttle and its occupant toward a position along the tracks between its ends, the forces in the cord(s) serving to decelerate, stop and re-accelerate the shuttle at each end of its travel along the tracks, aided by the secondary system when necessary.
Another relevant piece of prior art is illustrated in U.S. Serial No. 092, 462 entitled xe2x80x9cTherapeutic Exercise Apparatus and Methodxe2x80x9d. This invention shows a therapeutic exercise devises that is adapted to be positioned on a table. The device utilizes elastic members that are mounted to the carriage.
It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a head end positioned resistance adjustment system that has a more convenient access to the person adjusting the resistance of the exercise apparatus.
It is another object of the invention to remove the need of having the elastic members that are not in an operative position travel with the carriage by permanently attaching the elastic members to the frame portion and attaching the head portion of the elastic members to the carriage when additional exercise resistance is required.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a head end positioned resistance adjustment system that utilizes a flexible strap where a downward force and an upward force upon the strap at a first and second location will reposition a corresponding elastic member to an operative position.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a resistance system that is easy to maintain and replace damaged elastic members.
It is another object of the invention to provide a rebound system that is easy to manufacture and provides an exponentially increasing force in the longitudinal direction upon the carriage with respect to longitudinal travel of the carriage at the extreme longitudinal locations of the carriage""s range of motion.
It is another object of the invention to provide a rebound system that allows the carriage""s range of motion to be adjusted in a convenient manner.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent within the detailed description of the present invention.
The present invention relates to an improved resistance system that is to be implemented in an exercise apparatus which comprises a frame and a carriage. The frame has a rearward or foot end portion, a head end or forward portion, a leftward lateral side and a rightward lateral side. The carriage has a foot end portion, a head end portion, a leftward lateral side and a rightward lateral side and is adapted to travel longitudinally along the frame. An engagement section is located on the carriage. The resistance system utilizes a plurality of elastic members that extend headwardly from a base portion located in the foot end portion of the frame. The elastic members have a head portion which is on the longitudinally opposite side of the base portion and these head members are adapted to attach to the engagement section of the carriage. When the elastic members are attached to the engagement section this is referred to an operative position where tension in the longitudinally footward direction is applied to the carriage.
The present invention further has a rebound system that is to be implemented in the exercise apparatus where the rebound system comprises two flexible members. The first flexible member has a first portion, a central portion and a second portion where the first portion is mounted to the carriage and the second portion is mounted to the frame. Likewise, the second flexible member has a third portion, a central portion and a fourth portion where the third portion is mounted to a position on the carriage that is laterally right of the first portion of the first flexible member. The fourth portion is mounted to the frame laterally right of the second portion of the first flexible member. A resistance member is positioned substantially in the central portions of the first and second flexible members. The resistance member resists lateral separation of the central portions of the first and second flexible members that in turn causes tension in the first and second flexible members which exerts an exponentially increasing force upon the carriage when the carriage reaches its extremities in longitudinal travel.